Apparatus for connecting coil springs



Nov. 20, 1951 J. SPUHL 2,575,774

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING COIL SPRINGS Filed Dec. 18, 1947 2 SHEETS SHEET l INVENTOR. 1 JUL lUS 5'PUHL ATTORNEY Nov. 20, 1951 J, ur- 2,575,774

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING COIL SPRINGS Filed Dec. 18, 1947 2 Sl-IEETS-Sl-[EET I2 l I i 65 20 I i I I i I I y 1 I l I 1 I /9 I I I \I .1::: -JLJ;

INVENTOR. JUL/U5 SPUHL Patented Nov. 20, 1951 APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING y con. SPRINGS Julius Spiihl, Saint Gallen, Switzerland Application December 18, 1947, Serial No. 792,538 In Switzerland August 10, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires August 10, 1963 I 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of connecting the end rings of springs to the edge frames of the Spring boxes for mattresses and similar upholstered articles, and to an appliance for carrying out the method.

In making the spring-boxes for upholstered articles it is known to connect the end rings of the springs to the edge frames by means of metal clamps which are pushed over the laid-together end windings of the springs and the edge frames and are then closed by means of pliers. Such a connection is not durable, since the sheetmetal clamps cannot be pressed together by hand with sufficient pressure to cause them to lie snugly round the hard spring wire and the edge frame. Besides that, this method of connecting requires much time and is therefore expensive.

According to the method of the present invention, a part of the edge frame and the part of the end ring of a spring to be connected to it, and also a binding wire drawn off piecemeal from a stock supply, are introduced into a winding appliance and then, by operating the winding appliance, the bindin wire is wound a few turns round the end ring and the edge frame and severed from the stock.

The device for carrying out the method has a winding appliance for taking a part of the edge frame and the part of the end ring of a spring to be connected to the frame, and also a feed device for a binding wire drawn oif piecemeal from a stock supply, means for winding the binding wire round the parts of the edge frame and the spring lying in the windin appliance, and a cutting tool for severing the wound binding wire from the stock.

One form of execution of the appliance according to the invention for carrying out the method is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figs. 13 show front views of the appliance, with some parts broken away,

Figs. 4-7 details of the appliance,

Figs. 8 and 9 variants of the connection and Fig. shows an upholstered body on a small scale. 'The appliance in the drawing has a stand I in which a shaft 2 is rotatably supported. The driving shaft 2, which can be set rotating by driving means through a coupling (not illustrated), carries two cams 3 and 4, and also a toothed wheel 5. The toothed wheel 5 is in engagement with a further toothed wheel 6 mounted on an axle 1 fixed in the stand I. A lever B, pivoted on a pin 9 and carrying a finger I0. is actuated by the cam 3. On the periphery of the cam 4 runs a roller I I, mounted on the arm I2 of a bell-crank lever I2, I3 which is supported on the stand I so that it can swivel round the axle I4. A torsion spring I5 tends to press the roller against the cam 4, since it tries to turn the bellcrank lever l2, I3, in that sense. I At the free end of the arm I3 a knife I6 is fixed, which is hollowed out at I"! above its cutting edge. The knife I6 works in conjunction with a counter-knife I8 fitted on the machine stand I. I On an axle IQ of the machine stand I a threearmed lever 20, 2|, 22 is pivoted. To the arm of this lever a slide 23 is linked, which runs on a guide 24 of the stand I and has in a projection a hole 25 for letting a Wire 28 through. The slide 23 carries a swivelling lever 21 with a weight 28 and a finger 29 lying before the hole 25, and pressing the wire 26 against the fiat 25'.

The arm 2| carries a roller 33 and a draw-bar 3| which engages with the arm 2| and allows it to be swung away from a stop 32. The roller 30 is adjustable along one arm 33 of a two-armed lever 33, 34 which is pivoted on an axle 35 in the stand I. A stop 36 on the arm 33 limits the movement of the roller 30. The arm 33 is connected to the arm 22 by means of a tension spring 31. One arm 34 is linked to a slide 38, which is adjustable along a guide 39 and has a notch 40 in its front end.

. The intermediate toothed wheel 6 is in enagement with a further toothed Wheel 4| which is provided with a radial incision 42 (Fig. 7) extending beyond its axis and is pivoted in a bearing 43 (Fig. 2) of the machine stand, this bearing having also a radial incision 44 (Fig. 1). The bearing of the toothed wheel comprises a bush 45 with a longitudinal slot in the neighbourhood of the incision 42 of the toothed wheel 4|. At one end this bush 45 has an operating tooth 46 (Fig. 6) projecting in the axial direction.

On the machine stand (Figs. 4 and 51) a holder 41 with a notch at its front end is fitted. The clampin plate 48 for the fixed knife I8 has also a notch at its front end. The notches in the parts 4'! and 49 lie in one axis and collaborate with the notch 40 in the slide 38. A pawl 50 swings freely on the machine stand over the wire 26 (Fig. 1).

The method of working of the described appliance is the following:

The edge frame 5| of the upholstered article (Fig. 10), which is either of rectangular crosssection according to Fig. 8 or of circular crosssection according to Fig. 9, is laid into the, notches of the holder 41 and the part 49, and the part of the end ring of a spring 52 to be connected to this frame is laid on or beside it. The axis of the mentioned notches coincide with the axis of the toothed wheel ll and of its bearing bush 45, so that the 'frame15i and a part of the end rin 52 are located at the bottom of the radial incision 42 through which they have been passed into the notches.

Now in the first working operation, when-the draw-bar 3| is pulled downwards by means of a pedal for instance, the three-armed lever 20, 2|, 22 swivels round the pin l9. The sli'd'e"23 is then pushed on the guide i24'oi'1tfo'f-the position shown in Fig. 1 into that shown in FigJ 2,

the wire 26 being held by the olampingbetween the finger 29, the fiat and the hole '2 5, and therefore pushed forwards. At the same time the roller 30 on the arm 2| runs along the'arm 33 and swivels the two-armed lever 33, 3:! about the' axistfi. The swivelling of the lever;33, 34 causes a-displacing of the slide 38 on thesguide track-K39 .until the notch it at-it's front end, in collaboration "with the: notched holders :47 and part hold a part of the "edge frame 5|. and the-end windingof the springer-firmly. With further 'rmovementof the .ilever zl :the roller 30 on a :curved part of the lever arm 33, concentric with'theflaxis i9, so'that'thespressing'of thezsli'cle; 3'8 remains constant.

Byrthaengaging .of :a coupling (notishown), the toothed "wheel 5 is nowturned in the direction of 't-h'earrow J(Figs. 1-3), the cams 3 and lironi-thei shaft 2 and the toothed wheels v6 and M zth'en walso turning. The i lever 8 firstv of fall slides off the nose 3 of cams and swings under the-'actionof gravity round the pine, whereby the finger Hi comes to 'lie with its end on the wire 26,.clamping the wire firmly against a part "HY-of the machine stand lsso that it can no longer be pushed further forwards .or drawn back duringith'e binding operation.

'Thepp'e'rator ifiiFigfi'l) on the bearing bush E5 of the toothed wheel ii now winds the pushed-- forw'ard piece'of wire in screwed windings W roundthe edge frame 5i and the wire of the end ring' of the spring 52. As soon as the nose on the cam '4 swings the roller 1 1 out on the arm 12, theknife fit on thearm i3 movesdownwards and, in collaboration with the counter-knife i8,

' severe the wire close'to the winding W. At the same time the hollow ii on the backed the knife I slpressesfthe end of the severed wire close against 'the'edge frame and the and winding, and-the connection is completed. The partsof the appliance then return to their initial positions as "shown in Fig.1 and the comple'tedconnection may be removed 'from' the machine.

-What'l claim is:

"1. Apparatus for joining the end rings of heli-- cal springsitothe frame ofsprin'g boxes for the manufacture of upholstered articles, comprising a rotatable wire winding member adapted to receive partaofsaid frame-and saidring, clamp ingrmeans forrnon rotatably holding said frame and-said'ring withrth'eirlparts td-be joinedilying in juxtaposition inside: said: rotatable wirewi'nding member, feeding means for feeding'a binding wire piecemeal to said wire winding member from awirestock, means for rotatingwsaid wire winding member, said member thereby winding the wire piece: fed thereto in screw-like con- 4 fed to said winding member, and cutting means for severing said woundwire piece from the wire stock, said cutting means having a stationary knife and a movable knife cooperating therewith, said movable knife being provided at its side Opposite said winding member with a hollow shoulder fitting the cbntour of the "windings,

said shoulder pressing the cut-off end of said vo'lutions around said-frame and ring parts inwire piece against the joined parts upon the To 'o'pe'ratiohiof s'aid movable knife.

"2. Apparatus for joining the end rings of helical springs-to the frame of spring boxes for the manufacture of upholstered articles, compri'siii'g'a ro'tatably mounted wire winding meme ber-provided with a toothed portion, with an -eccentricalaxially extending projection on one side land with a radial slot allowing said frame and ring parts to be inserted into said winding member to a position substantially along the axis of the latter, clamping means for rotatably holding said-frame and-ringparts in that position consisting :ofstwo-spaced stationary jaw mem: bers situated at both-sides and near the axis of said win'ding member-and i-two slid-ably amounted jaw members cooperating with said vrtationary jawxm'emberaa slidablyrmounted clamping mem- Eberufo'r piecemeal :advancingthe end. of a'binding wire froma wirestock to saidwinding member placing. an end piece-of said wire under the action of said rprojection, said clamping member gripping "the wire when moving toward said winding .member and loosely .sIiding-alo'ng, said wire whenmeving in the oppositewdirection, a pivotallysinounted clamping memberiadapted to grip the wire to; prevent it from 'ihoving' back wards, --a second ,pivotally mounted clamping member adapted to ripflthe wirefto prevent it from moving forward during the, operation of saidwind-ing ,memberu andhaving an extended 1ever@arm, 1ever means for moving said slidable jaw members to their clanfping position and for moving said slidable clamping means to advance said wireiwhen theffframe and ring parts have been insertedinsaid slot, toothed gearing means engagin'gr said toothedportion of said winding member for rotating the latter, said projection on said-winding member thereby engaging said advanced .'wire end piece towinol it around, said :frame and: ring parts, cutting means for sever ing said wound wire piecelfrom thewire stock ahd con'si's'ting .ofja stationary knife and a movable knife fixed to one end of afpivotallymounted lever, ja vcam follower on the other end of said lever, ja/ca'm wheel driven bygsaid gearin'gmeans andjcooper'ating withsaid-cam follower to oper ate said cutting means w en thewire piece has been wound, and a. se'oondcam wheel driven by sa'id 'g'e'arin'g means" and cooperating with said eXtendingf-leverarm on said second pivotally mounted clamping member to move said clamping member away from the wire toallow the ad vancing=of said-wire after the operation of said winding member.

3. Apparatus fo'r joining --the end rings of reheat springs to =the frame of spring boxes for the manufacture of uphol'stered articles, coinprising a cylindrical wire winding memberhav ing-an axialhole, a radial slot leading: to said :hole, said memberffurther being providedwithra 'toothedlportion and with an axiallyxextending eoc'entrical fingerelikejprojection on one side, said winding -.:member being. rotatably mounted .;in bearings having a radial slot, said two radial slots .in said windingmembe'rgand said bearings allowinggaidefram rand; ring parts to be insertedin juxtaposition intoxsaid holenclamping. means; for

non-rotatably holding said frame and ring parts in that position, means for advancing a binding wire piecemeal from a wire stock to said. winding member placing an end piece of said wire under the action of said finger-like projection, said wire being advanced along a line at an oblique angle with the axis of said winding member, clamping means for fixedly holding the wire during the operation of said winding member, toothed gearing means engaging said toothed portion of said winding member for rotating the latter, said finger-like projection on said winding member thereby engaging said advanced wire piece to wind it in screw-like convolutions around said frame and ring parts, and cutting means for severing said wound wire piece from the wire stock, said cutting means having a stationary knife and a movable knife cooperating therewith, said movable knife being provided at its side opposite said winding member with a hollow shoulder fitting the contour of the windings, said shoulder pressing the cut-011 end of said wire piece against the joined parts upon the operation of said movable knife.

JULIUS SPUHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 518,426 Randall Apr. 1'7, 1894 720,170 Mills Feb. 10, 1903 1,105,622 Cornell Aug. 4, 1914 1,258,275 Totzke Mar, 5, 1918 1,612,160 Sommer Dec. 28, 1926 1,655,471 Marcell Jan. 10, 1928 1,821,457 Willis Sept. 1, 1931 1,943,546 Owen Jan. 16, 1934 1,959,048 Burch May 15, 1934 2,058,679 Gilmore Oct. 27, 1936 2,150,755 Zimmerman Mar. 14, 1939 2,329,202 Jonassen Sept. 14, 1943 2,391,891 Frankel Jan. 1, 

